Straighten Up, Girls and Boys

Jackie M. Blount is professor emeritus of educational studies at the Ohio State University. She has received the American Educational Research Association's Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Educational Research Award. Her books include Fit to Teach: Same-Sex Desire, Gender, and School Work in the Twentieth Century.

"Straighten Up, Girls and Boys is the definitive historical account of gender and sexuality in American schooling. Blount's clear and compelling analysis is based on comprehensive research, providing essential reading for students, educators, administrators, policy makers, scholars, and citizens in our time." - Karen Graves, author of And They Were Wonderful Teachers: Florida's Purge of Gay and Lesbian Teachers "In this powerful new book, Blount analyzes how schools have not only reflected but substantially shaped gender and sexuality historically with profound implications for school workers and students alike. This timely and compelling book highlights the value of historical insights into contemporary issues, the complex intersections between schools and social forces, and the agency of educational actors to envision and actualize schools as fully inclusive spaces." - Lucy E. Bailey, Professor of Social Foundations and Director of Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies at Oklahoma State University "This compelling book deftly synthesizes multiple historical episodes spanning centuries in demonstrating persuasively how and why American schools have long been sites of intense negotiation over gender and sexual identity. Blount's engaging narrative invites us to recognize what has appeared to be at stake in these enduring educational conflicts—and for whom." - Sevan G. Terzian, professor, University of Florida "In this powerful book, historian Jackie Blount examines why and how schools have engaged so deeply over time with issues of gender and sexuality. Although schools strive to be neutral, she argues, they in fact repeatedly become sites of contestation over how educators, curriculum, and even physical school spaces enact gender expectations, all connected to cycles of political and social change. Blount identifies how people's actions in past contests can guide progressive educators and advocates seeking a more equitable future." - Linda Eisenmann, Professor Emerita of Education and former Provost, Wheaton College, Massachusetts